Millett Opera House, Austin

The Millett Opera House in Austin has played a significant role in the city's cultural and architectural heritage. Built in 1878 by Charles Millett, a local lumber seller, the opera house was a grand and spacious venue that quickly became one of the largest performance spaces in the state of Texas at the time.

Designed by the accomplished architect Frederick Ruffini, the Millett Opera House boasted several remarkable features, including its capacity to accommodate 800 removable seats, sturdy 24-inch limestone walls, and the distinction of being the largest enclosed space in the entire state of Texas. Its strategic location just south of the Texas Capitol building and a few blocks from Congress Avenue made it a central and popular entertainment hub during the Victorian era.

The building itself underwent some modifications over the years, with a notable change being the replacement of the original second-story bracket-supported balcony with a two-story gallery. The juxtaposition of rough-cut stone against finely detailed pilasters, capitals, and cornices gave the opera house a distinctive and aesthetically appealing appearance.

Following a period of various uses, including housing a printing company, the Austin Club, a local private social club, took over the building in 1979 through a long-term lease arrangement. The Austin Club subsequently undertook significant renovations to the structure. While the original performance space was removed, a portion of the original hand-painted ceiling remains intact in one of the meeting rooms, serving as a reminder of the building's rich history and grandeur.

Notably, the Millett Opera House was recognized for its historical and architectural significance when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Today, the Millett Opera House, under the ownership of the Austin Club, stands as a testament to Austin's cultural heritage, preserving the memory of a bygone era when it was a premier venue for entertainment and culture in Texas.